title: Effect of stacking faults on the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of hcp Co: a first-principles study.
abstract: In terms of the fully relativistic screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method we investigate the effect of stacking faults on the magnetic properties of hexagonal close-packed (hcp) cobalt. In particular, we consider the formation energy and the effect on the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) of four different stacking faults in hcp cobalt-an intrinsic growth fault, an intrinsic deformation fault, an extrinsic fault and a twin-like fault. We find that the intrinsic growth fault has the lowest formation energy, in good agreement with previous first-principles calculations. With the exception of the intrinsic deformation fault which has a positive impact on the MAE, we find that the presence of a stacking fault generally reduces the MAE of bulk Co. Finally, we consider a pair of intrinsic growth faults and find that their effect on the MAE is not additive, but synergic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK. cja505@york.ac.uk
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Aas
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Szunyogh
authors.forename: R F L
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Chantrell
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D003035:Cobalt / Q000737:chemistry*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003460:Crystallization; D060328:Magnetic Phenomena; D008956:Models, Chemical; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D003035:Cobalt